Boiler and supporting means for use therewith



Oct. 4, 1932. w. H. ARMACOST BOILER AND SUPPORTING MEANS FOR USE THEREWITH Filed July 13, 1931 By ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 4, 1932 uNiTso'sTArE-s PATENT @FFEQE W'ILiB'UR H'. Aanaoosr, or new YORK, 1 1.1 assreuon TO THE suraanneaann eorrreuY,

' I y or NEW YORK, N. 'Y.

BOILER AND SUPPORTING MEANS FOR USE THEREWITI-I I Application filed July 13,

This invention relates to means for supporting superheaters in boilers and aims to provide an arrangement which shall he economical to manufacture and convenient to install.

In .the majority of straight-tube horizontal boilers of the Water tube type, the generating tubes are arranged in horizontal rows but they are staggered in the vertical direction to compel thegases to pursue a tor tuouspath through the tube banks. Difliculties are encountered in boilers having such arrangement of the tubes in connection with the problem of suspending a superheater from the'generating tubes.

It is an object of my invention to provide satisfactory means whereby objects such as superheater elements and headers may be suspended from the generating tubes in tube banks having tubes staggered.

The novel features, of my invention are pointed out in the appended claims. The invention itself,'however, together with its objects and advantages, will best be understood from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, of a particular boiler having a superheater suspending means therein which is an illustrative embodiment of my invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a lateral elevation of portions of the upper slag screen and tube banks of a water tube boiler of the straight horizontally inclined tube type having a superheater in the space between the two tube banks and suspended from the upper bank.

Fig. 2 is a sectional fragmentary View on an enlarged scale of a portion of Fig. 1, taken onthe line 2-2 of Fig. 4;.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

' Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken at right anglesto Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, 10 is a boiler having an upper tube bank of generating tubes 12, 12. The arrangement of the tubes 12 is illustrated in detail in Fig. 4. Such arrangement is a common one and involves placing tubes 12 in horizontal rows r." so arranged as to provide horizontal lanes 1931. Serial No. 550,496.

between the adjacent rows, but having the tubes in one horizontal row covering the spaces between the tubes in adjacent horizontal rows so that the tubes are staggered in the vertical direction, the spacing of the 5 tubes, moreover, being such that there are no clear vertical lan s through the bank although there are horizontal lanes through the tubes and two sets of inclined lanes through the tubes running at about 80 degrees to the vertical and inclined in opposite directions. In accordance with prevailing practice it becomes necessary in many cases to place a superheater in the space between the two banks,'and in this case to support at least part of the superheater from the boiler tubes. The upper bank is the more convenient one for this purpose, and at times all the weight to be so supported has been hung from its bottom row. This is often an undesirably large load for such a single row, but on account of the diiticulty involved in doing anything else the load is nevertheless often supported in this manner. By my invention I provide ready means for distributing the load over several rows of tubes even when the tubes are relatively staggered as described.

My supporting means comprise thin elongated members 14 which are thin enough to slide in between adjacent horizontal rows of tubes 12 and which are elongated suiiiciently to span as many of the .tubes 12 of the given row as necessary in the direction transverse to the length of the tubes. The members 14 resting on the tops of tubes 12 may be connected to an object to be suspended from the tubes by members lying in inclined lanes through the tube bank. As illustrated, the object tobe suspended from the tubes 12 is a superheater having elements similar to the one illustrated at 15 in Fig. 1, the individual elements of the superheater being attached to transverse beams 16 bysuitable means which form no part of the present invention. In the arrangement illustrated, the beams 16 are suspended from the mem here 14 by means of hook members 18, 18. Preferably the hook members 18 are arranged in pairs, a given pair 18 lying in oppositely inclined lanes in the tube bank, the'lower ends of the given pairof hook members 18 being brought approximately together and pinned by pivot pins 22, 22 to a common pair of lugs 20, 20 on the upper face ofa beam 16. The upper ends of the hdok rnem- 14 in the form shown and having connecting here 18 engage the members 14 and in. order to facilitate the assemblage of the hooks on members 14, I prefer to; make the members I rods 24,24 the ends of which are integral with saddle-like bearing members 26,7 26

' 'As appears clear in Fig. 2, therodmembers; T 15 24 are of a size and shape such that the hook adapted to rest on the tops of the tubes 12.

portions 18 of the upper ends of the members 18 canbe easily slipped over rods 24.

' In orderto distribute the weight on members 14 over the upper surfaces of tubes 12,

the bearing members 24 prefera'bly are made saddle, shaped; having cylindrical grooves in theirlower faces of the same curvature as theouter surfaces of the tubes 12 so that each member 26' of a given member 14 has I an extendedbearing on one of the tubes 12. rThe tubes 12 are somewhat inclined to the horizontal to promote the" thermal circulation of the boiler and, in order to prevent the hook members 18 and supports 14'trom slidin'g downwardly on tubes 12, Iprefer to provide collars 28 one of which can be clamped around one of the tubes 12 between the lower ends of a pair of hook members 18,

n each collar 28 having projections 28" adapted to contact with the members 18 so as to pre vent their moving longitudinally of the tubes. v V

In the form of boiler tubes. The arrangement generally,- as well asits details, can obviously be varied ofmy invention illustrated in the drawing, there are four members 14,.

seen an arrangement in accordan object to be supported below said bank to said supporting members.

2. The combinatlon as set out in claim 1 vand in which the lower supportingmembers are nearer the ends of the generating tubes. 3. The combination with a bank of ge'ner ating boiler tubes havlng the tubes staggered .in the vertical direction, of aplurality of supporting members each supported on a different horizontal row' of tubes in'said bank, and suspension members adapted to connect an object. below said bank to said supporting members.

'4. The combination with a bank of generating boiler tubes having tubes staggered in a vertical direction, of a plurality of horizontal supporting members arranged transversely on the tubes of said bank, suspension members arranged 1n palrs 1n oppositely 111- clined lanes in said bank and 'eachfpair adapted to cQnnectan object to be supported below said bank to: one of said supporting members, and collarsfixed on boiler tubes near the lower ends of said, suspension members andeach adaptedtocontact and to support'laterally a given pairof such members 7 LNVILBUR H;.ARMACOST.'

cor'lsiderably without losing the advantages or departing from .2 ventionf V v V 7 .What I claim is: I I

- 1'. The combination: with a bank of generatingboiler tubes having the, tubes staggered the real spirit of the inin the vertical direction ota plurality o f supporting members, each supported on a different horizontal row of tubes in said'bank and suspension members adapted to occupy an inclined lanesin' said jbank and to connect; 

